
By Amy Derksen on in Content, Tech & Trends
Emoji: An unexpected minefield
My cursor hovered above the Slack comment. I wanted to convey, “yep, on it.” Naturally, the moment called for the thumbs-up emoji.
Except I’d just read that the thumbs-up emoji can be seen as passive aggressive or rude. So I went with the hot dog instead.
Curiosity sparked, I came across Adobe’s September “Future of Creativity: 2022 U.S. Emoji Trend Report,” which promised to “reveal insights on emoji use for ?, ? and more ?.” .
This comes on the heels of the Twittersphere’s response to the updated Microsoft Teams emoji set, with a cuteness level some see as inappropriate for, say, an annual investor meeting at IBM or BP. One poster also noted that the super fun approach is out of sync with the whole Teams experience—”like putting an arcade game inside the DMV.
Sitting squarely in Gen X (you can tell because I’d prefer to be reading a book than starting a winery or being an influencer), I’m finding the business emoji situation a little more complex than seems necessary.
Curiosity sparked, I came across Adobe’s September “Future of Creativity: 2022 U.S. Emoji Trend Report,” which promised to “reveal insights on emoji use for ?, ? and more ?.” Even as the “no thumbs-up” story is making the rounds, Adobe found it to be the second-most used emoji in the US. I would guess that’s because the thumbs-up is first in line on Facebook, as well as high up in the defaults on WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack, etc. And, of course, acknowledging and moving on is 90% of online interaction.
Other interesting bits from the Adobe report:
- Using the eggplant or poop emoji makes you less likable (as if you needed to hear that)
- The smiley with the cowboy hat is the least understood
- Emoji users are big fans of making the set more and more inclusive
Finally, 73% of users felt that people who use emoji are friendlier, funnier and cooler. Except, apparently, when you use emoji that make you look old: ? ♥️ ? ? ?.
The jury is out for emoji use in professional settings. The potential for miscommunication is huge, especially if you have multicultural or neurodiverse team members. Is your red face embarrassed or angry? Are you crying because it was funny or you’re sad? Still, in a collaborative space or a less-formal setting, if you’re not too obscure, emoji can help clarify what doesn’t come through in written communication—a dry joke, excitement over a big win, extreme urgency. But you probably want to keep it among peers, and even then, you have to know your audience.
Tomorrow, maybe we’ll discuss the news that using a period at the end of a sentence in a text is passive-aggressive, too. ? In the meantime, if you’re looking for a team who can help you communicate clearly with your audiences, verbally and visually, say hello to FATFREE. We’re here to help.